Xiaomi is not new to making audio devices. They have a bunch of speakers and their Piston earphone line is doing well. However, very few people know they also make wireless internet radios/speakers.
Earlier this year Xiaomi released internet radio with touch controls on the top and a cute little red switch at the top right corner. To use it, you had to pair it to your phone via the Mi Home App before getting access to online stations. After which you could choose to use the red button to switch stations or keep using your phone.
The speaker however has its disadvantages. It doesn’t have a built-in battery, so you to have to plug it to a wall outlet or a power bank anytime you want to use it. You also couldn’t use it like a regular speaker. The company released a new internet speaker that solves almost all of the problems above and does a lot more.
Technical Specifications
The Xiaomi Internet Speaker is big and weighs 1.6kg. It has an Amlogc 8726M3 Cortex A9 processor and supports dual band WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 for connectivity. There is 8GB of built-in storage, a USB 2.0 port, and an auxiliary jack that allows you to still enjoy the speaker even if there is no internet access. Xiaomi’s Internet Speaker has two 2.5-inch sub-woofers for extra bass, two main drivers, and uses a vented bass duct technology.
Xiaomi has ironed out some of the issues from their other internet connected speaker. Now, if there is no internet access you can listen to songs you’ve stored on it as it has 8GB of built-in storage, or plug a flash drive to its USB 2.0 port or even connect it to your phone or PC via the auxiliary audio input.
One neat trick the speaker has is that it allows multiple users customize their audio preferences which can be accessed by just pushing the CH key. Apart from controlling it via the physical keys or Mi Home App, the Xiaomi Internet Speaker also supports voice control.
The speaker can also function as an alarm clock and will wake you up to a preset song like the Mi Alarm Clock. One thing they have failed to do is put a battery in it. So the only way you can power it up is via a wall socket with the accompanying power cord.
READ MORE: Alleged Live Pictures of Xiaomi Mi Mix Mini Leaked
Xiaomi says the speaker can pull songs from a database of over 20 million. It also has access to more than 1500 radio stations scattered over 31 provinces. Audiobook lovers are not left out as they can access 200,000 story telling stations and a database of 120 million audiobooks.
The Xiaomi Internet Speaker Costs ¥399 ($58) and will go on sale on the 25th of November.
